Firefight, Halo's take on a horde mode, popularised in ODST and Reach, returns this month via an early access beta.

Warzone Firefight, as Halo 5's variant is known, takes place on the map Escape from A.R.C, with up to eight players facing off against enemy AI

Each game will consist of five rounds in which players must work co-operatively to complete objectives, difficulty increasing as you progress.

Seeing as this Firefight is of the Warzone variety, players will have full access to all their REQ’s in order to help them achieve victory. The beta kicks off next week, running from 14 – 18 April.

Like previous updates before it, Ghosts of Meridian also adds new maps for Arena and Warzone game modes.

Tyrant is the new arena map, featuring a large Forerunner structure wedged inside an asteroid belt, while Skirmish at Darkstar features an industrial setting based on the moon Meridian and will go into rotation for Warzone game modes.

Besides the new weapons, armour and REQ’s on offer, a few multiplayer tweaks were snuck in with Ghosts of Meridian.

The most notable of these was the return of SWAT DMRs which will be added to the SWAT playlist, and players can now ‘ping’ their location during Warzone and Arena matches by pressing up on the D-pad to alert team mates to conflict zones.

Forge mode hasn’t been forgotten either, with 343 adding a number of new pieces and updates to the map building mode. Want to make it rain? Well, now you can with the new weather effects which also include the ability to add snow, dust, motes, paper and embers to your creations.

You can check out the complete list of everything included in the Ghosts of Meridian update over at Halo Waypoint.

Two more updates are planned for Halo 5, as well as the full version of Warzone Firefight. Memories of Reach and Hog Wild will release sometime in the Spring and Summer respectivly, while 343 recently confirmed that the much requested Infection mode will be added to Halo 5 soon.

Let us know your thoughts on the Ghosts of Meridian update over in the forums.